Maimonides' Code
The End with the Beginning

A Principle for Studying the Torah
There is no beginning or end

In a Torah exposition written by one of our
Sages, every point in the text is unified with every other. For example, we don't insist that someone starts to attend a class from the scheduled beginning. Generally, people are also encouraged to enter the class anytime according to what is best for them even if it is after several study sessions. If as students we didn't start studying a text at its beginning, we work through the text from where we can start until the end, resume at the beginning, and study the text until we reach our personal starting point. To the extent that a text's content assumes previous information, we are now prepared to work through until the end with a more complete understanding. Nevertheless, we have already successfully examined the text's end even before its beginning. We disregard the handicap of missing earlier information since we don't regard a Torah text as really having a beginning and an end.

In
practical terms, Maimonides wrote his Code on sheets of paper
(or parchment). Each hand-written page belonged in its
place – the ideas on a page continue what he wrote on the
previous page just as the next page picks up where the previous
page left off. Before the Internet, which is to say before
hypertext, the practical
technologies of writing have constricted us to write in steps with a beginning, middle, and
end. So in studying these written texts, we use memory and thought processes to connect
the end with the beginning even though we do not see them together.

Even the Torah scroll has a beginning –
the first letters and words of the Book of Genesis. We stitch each succeeding
page of parchment adjacent to the previous page,
and so on. In practice, Torah scribes are allowed to write later
pages before earlier ones. Two scribes can divide the
assignment, if only to speed up the completion of the new Torah
Scroll. Even so, both scribes are always writing –
really copying – the text of Scripture from a previously
written Torah Scroll. Eventually, all the pages are stitched together in their
order to form a unified Torah Scroll.

You can think in terms of a roll of microfilm as a scroll like the Torah Scroll. The microfilm reader lets a user scan through pages instead of having to turn pages one by one. Using microfilm, we have a sense of how a paged document can be experienced as a scroll.

If we were to unroll the entire Torah Scroll
into a circle (a large circle indeed), we could bring the last words of
Deuteronomy next to the first words of Genesis.

— based in part on an idea taught in the Book of Formation
- Sefer Yetzirah, Chapter I, Mishnah 5
(part 2)

Maimonides' Code - The Book of Judges —

The last of the Code's
fourteen books

“The Laws of
Kings and Their Wars” - Chapter 12

The last section and the last chapter of the
Code

The Conclusion of Maimonides' Code
The last chapters and the last laws of the
Code

The laws gathered in Chapters
11 and 12 of The Book of Judges are sometimes called "The
Laws of the Messiah."

The contents starting from Chapter 8, Ruling 10 and onward,
are a transition into "The Laws of the Messiah." The previous
laws concern the early wars for entering the Land of Israel
(Land of Canaan) and for establishing a form of government headed
by a Jewish king. Mostly these rulings do not apply to King
Messiah.

5. In the era [of King
Messiah] there will be no famine or war, no
jealousy or strife,since good things will be
available in abundance,and all delightful things will
be as freely available as dust.
The only occupation of the entire world will be solely to
know G-d.
Jews will, therefore, be great sages, knowing hidden [esoteric] matters [of the Torah].
They will attain
knowledge of their Creator to the [full]
extent of human capacity, as it says –"For the world will be filled
with knowledge of the L-rdas waters
cover the sea [bed]" (Isaiah 11:9).

"The Laws of Kings" are complete, as is the entire
composition [the Mishneh Torah / Code] –
Blessed is He Who spoke and the Universe came into being, both its
details as well as its entirety.
Finished and complete, may G-d, Creator of the
Universe, be praised.

The Epigraph:

All the commandments which were given to Moses at [Mount] Sinai were given with their
explanation,as it is said [by G-d to Moses and recorded
in the Torah],". . . and I am
giving you the [Two] Tablets of
stone, and the Torah, and the commandment –
which I have written – to teach to them [the Jewish people]"
(Exodus 24:12).

Torah – this is the text of the written Torah
[the Five Books of Moses];

and the commandment – this is its [oral] explanation.

[And Moses] commanded us to do
[what is written in]
the Torah according to the commandment, this
'commandment' referring to
what is called the Oral Torah.

. . .

[page 16] I, Moses, have gathered together ... This composition [the Code / Mishneh Torah] gathers together the entire Oral Torah, [and when a person learns the entire set of fourteen books in the Code] he or she knows the entire Oral Tradition – all the rulings and laws of the Torah, even those which we cannot fulfill now [because they depend on having the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, because they depend on all Jews living in the Land of Israel, and so on].

* Generally, printers have missed
printing this verse: “. . . In the name of the L-rd, G-d of the world.” However, Rabbi Bluming's
critical edition begins with both this verse from Genesis
and with the verse from Psalms. So does Moses Hyamson's
critical edition. This essay, relating the end of
Maimonides' Code to the beginning in one study, is
based on the premise that students of the text are unlikely to find
any edition that opens with the verse ". . . In
the name of the L-rd,G-d of the
world."

Nevertheless, we notice that the Hebrew words for "G-d
of the world" are in both the postscript and in the epigraph –
this opening verse of the Preface. In the postscript,
though, we read the additional word 'Creator' between the words 'G-d'
and 'of the'. The postscript is also clearly in the form of a prayer.

We still need to know, though, whether Maimonides himself composed the
postscript or whether a copyist or a printer added it. Only then can we connect this end with this beginning.

Maimonides' Code - The Book of Knowledge —

The first of the Code's
fourteen books

“The Fundamental Laws of the Torah” - Chapter 1

The first laws in the
Code

Chapter 1. Ruling 1 (also
called Law 1)
The foundation of [all] foundations and the
pillar of [all] wisdoms is to know that there
is one First Being, and that He brings into being everything
that exists . . .

Examining the Principle of Studying the Torah
When There Is No Beginning or End —

Studying the end of the Code

I've translated only the last ruling of this
last chapter, Law 5 (above), since
it closes with a verse from Isaiah that is a proof-text describing the Messianic Era generally.
When we also read the previous eight verses in the Book of Isaiah, we have a full set of proof-texts that
describe some of the details that are the subjects of the last two
chapters of Maimonides' Code.

Generally, the subjects of the last two
chapters of Maimonides' Code are –

The King Messiah, during his lifetime, will restore the
observance of all the Torah's commandments as observed in the
set of generations after the Exodus from Egypt.

Belief in the Messiah and the messianic era are embedded in
Scripture.

To gloss over issues concerning the Messiah's arrival and
his rule as king is to dismantle the structure and integrity
of the Hebrew Scriptures.

How we identify the real Messiah.

The nature of the world will not change during the age of
the Messiah.

The prophets generally spoke in riddles. To derive lessons
about King Messiah from the prophets is a cautious exercise.

It is unwise to calculate a date when the Messiah will
arrive.

King Messiah will restore the identity of the Twelve Tribes
and reconstitute them as units of the Jewish people.

Those who are wise will have no other desire during the
Messianic Era than to study the Torah and its wisdom.

Examining the Postscript

The conclusion of the Code can
only be taken as an ending in the sense that Maimonides had
reached the point where he had accomplished his intention. He
had before him a unified composition ready for publication,
entire and complete. As he writes (see the complete postscript above) –

"The Laws of
Kings" are complete, as is the entire composition
. . . [This work is] finished and complete, may G-d,
Creator of the Universe, be praised. ^

Studying the Beginning of the Code – the Epigraph

Maimonides opens this entire
composition – known by the Hebrew name Mishneh
Torah(mish NEH toh RAH) – with a verse
from Psalms. “Then I will not be ashamed, when I examine
all Your commandments” (Psalm 119,verse 6). We know from
precedence and from principles of Torah study that we can and
should study this verse as though it were attached following the
last chapter of the Code. In a way, we regard the beginning
of Maimonides' Code also as the conclusion of the
entire Code. I explained these principles for study the Torah in detail above.

A Torah composition like the Code
seems, to an ordinary student, to be linear like works of non-fiction
and fiction that he or she has read or studied before. These works proceed from a beginning, continue with the text itself, and end with a conclusion. Instead, a Torah composition is circular. The beginning cannot be separated from the end just as the end cannot be separated from the beginning. The
beginning cannot be studied as though nothing came before it.

Similarly, the conclusion of the Code
can only be taken as an ending in the sense that Maimonides had
reached the point where he had accomplished his intention. He
had before him a unified composition ready for publication,
entire and complete. Again, see what he writes in the postscript.

When Maimonides opens the composition of his
Code with an epigraph from Psalms, "when I examine
all Your commandments," one emphasis here is all Your
commandments. He tells us that he will not be ashamed when he
has studied the entire Torah – all the instructions for
fulfilling all the commandments. In this composition, the Mishneh
Torah, Maimonides gathered together everything that
he had learned from the Torah. He now prepares to teach us what
he knows about all the commandments. In the Introduction
he writes:

This composition gathers
together the entire Oral Torah, [and when a person learns the
entire set of fourteen books in the Code] he or
she knows the entire Oral Tradition – all the rulings and
laws of the Torah, even those which we cannot fulfill now
[because they depend on having the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, because they depend on all Jews living in the Land of Israel, and so on].

Connecting the last laws with the opening

Specifically, Maimonides' Code
concludes with laws about King Messiah, laws that relate to the
future but not to now. However, the subjects of the last two
chapters of Maimonides' Code do relate to the
present in at least three points. As listed above, 1) "belief in
the Messiah and the messianic era are embedded in Scripture;" 2)
"to gloss over issues concerning the Messiah's arrival and his
rule as king is to dismantle the structure and integrity of the
Hebrew Scriptures;" and 3) "it is unwise to calculate a date
when the Messiah will arrive."

In addition, since we expect the arrival of the
Messiah at any moment, how to identify the real Messiah is a
fourth issue that relates to contemporary life. Actually, this
ruling and the other three rulings have been ongoing, day-to-day
laws of Jewish life, for man, woman and child. The trajectory of history moves toward the Messianic era.

Studying the laws of the Torah that relate
to the future, though, is also part of the Torah even though we have no opportunity to follow and obey these laws. Studying the
laws about King Messiah completes the content of the Code
which is "gathering together the entire Oral Torah" in one
composition – "when I examine all Your
commandments." Then, Maimonides tells us, "I will not be
ashamed." He is not ashamed since the Torah has been his teacher
and he has been a diligent student.

Connecting the last single law by itself with the opening

Even beyond this, the last single law itself,
number 5, is intimately connected with
the idea of "all Your commandments." During the Messianic Era, ".
. . The only occupation of the entire world will be
solely to know G-d." How will we know G-d? By studying His Torah without distractions. His Torah, both
the written Scriptures and the Oral Torah, the Oral Tradition,
are the explanations of "all Your commandments."

Maimonides writes in this last law – Halachah(hah lah KHAH), the "Way of Jewish Life" –
that, "In the [Messianic] Era there will be neither famine nor
war, neither jealousy nor aggressive competitiveness. . .
." These conditions facilitate studying all of G-d's
commandments. Even more, the study of the Torah prevents these
four undesirable conditions.

Tikkun olam(tee KOON oh LAHM) - the Torah
fixes the human world

The Torah is G-d's like a
blueprint for Creation. We study the parts of the blueprint that
call for observance of the commandments as a means to accomplish
what is called in Hebrew tikkun olam – fixing the
world.

Our responsibility to complete our
contribution to the construction of Creation is by studying the
blueprint, which calls for the fulfillment of all of G-d's
commandments. Our responsibility to observe G-d's
commandments is a means to an end – bringing about tikkun
olam. "Fixing" in this sense refers to our jobs to bring
the world as we find it into line with G-d's
intention – the Divine blueprint. Previous generations, of
Jews and non-Jews, accomplished what they could.
Only the finishing touches have remained for us to labor on.

The Torah creates Shalom - peace is the end of struggle and war

Shalom, the end of war, is also the
collective end of personal struggles associated with the Torah.
On one hand, we resist temptations to violate the negative
commandments – activities that we are not supposed to do.
On the other hand, we also end this struggle by genuinely
immersing ourselves in the pleasure of engaging in G-dly
activities – the positive commandments, what are
supposed to do.

One purpose of the Torah is to end quarrels.
In the Chapters of the Fathers (Pirkei Avot 1:12)
Rabbi Hillel teaches us, "Be among the disciples of Aaron [the
first High Priest]: loving peace, pursuing peace, loving
your fellow [even the seemingly worthless ones], and bringing
them near to the Torah." Maimonides translates this idea into a
family message and then into a universal message –

Peace in the
house and peace between a husband and a wife are [so] great.
The reason that the entire Torah was given was to establish
peace in the world, as it says, "Its ways are ways of
pleasantness, and all its paths are peace." (Proverbs
3:17)

— from
Maimonides' Code, The Book of Seasons, "The Laws
of Chanukah," Chapter 4, Ruling 14 (the last lines of
this ruling)
Freely translated by Nathaniel Segal

The Torah creates completeness in the world

The Hebrew word shalom is related to
another Hebrew word that means completeness – sh'leimut
(shlay MOOT). Shalom as a greeting is a prayer and a
personal blessing. Sh'leimut is the state of realizing shalom. The Torah is the means to this end. A prayer from the
Holiday prayer book reads –

You
are 'Shalom' and Your name is 'Shalom'. May it be your will that
You bestow upon us . . . life and blessing
to be preserved as peace – shalom.

Preservation of peace is the realization of
peace in our lives, the outcome of a prayer and a blessing. Note
that 'Shalom' is one of G-d's names. The
realization of peace is from the One Who on High also dwells
among us in peace. When? As a measure for measure. When we
"examine all Your commandments" to vigorously observe them, we
achieve completeness like the One who dwells among us in
completeness. Again, the Torah is a means to an end. It serves
to complete our lives.

The Torah as an instrument to eliminate famine, war, jealousy,
and aggressive competitiveness

No famine - Completeness in the world, created by the Torah,
eliminates hunger. Hunger is generally caused by the lack of
food or by defects in distributing surpluses.

No war - Fixing the world – the human world –
eliminates the defects in human personalities. People are then
able to negotiate and to reach compromises eliminating war.
Defects in human personalities violate G-d's intention for His
Creation. The rest of Creation is never defective since choice
and free will – to fight wars – don't exist except
among humans.

No jealousy, strife, or aggression - The Torah serves to
complete our lives by ending all sorts of struggles and
quarrels. Jealousy is the last of the Ten Commandments.